Chains
by MegaKat
Summary: After three years of slavery on Vegeta-sai, the Queen of Mars forces the hand of yet another master and is sold into a very unlikely household. Rated M for the usual stuff!
1. Chapter 1

***DOES THE HAPPY DANCE* Kids are back to schoooool! Kids are back to schoooooool! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Can't touch this!**

**Ok, lol. Sorry, I'm just SO HAPPY! NO MORE TURDS IN DA HOUSE!**

**So, this story is totally rated M for starting out with hints of smut but no actual smut taking place, and for mention of rape. Don't worry yall, this is NOT Sacrifice… though the beginning set-up has similar tones. The girls have been defeated on Earth and Serenity has been taken as the Saiyan prince's mate. But we're focusing on the Inners in this story and not much else. Mostly Rei. So, they've been there now for three years, and NOPE, they are NOT going home. They're just gonna have to go along to get along or die. Those are the choices, so don't hold out false hope for going back to Earth! **

**But feel free to have hope for smut (because with me, there's ALWAYS smut) while our ladies try to come to better terms with their um… **_**bondage**_**. MWUHUHAHA… mwuhuhahaha… MWUHUHAHAHAHAHAHA… mmm~yes…**

**Oh, and break out the Saiyan dictionary (which I am trying to figure out how to reorder), you're gonna need it later on, yall.**

Rei trembled visibly as her master approached the bed slowly, shaking his head mournfully down at her. "I warned you about running away, Rei. But you just couldn't listen to me, could you? You had to push my buttons, had to risk getting executed by the first guard that caught you out…" He sighed heavily as he slowly ripped the long skirt and the tunic from her body, leaving her fully exposed.

It was then that she began to struggle in earnest against the bonds that held her in place, tied spread-eagle to the large bed in her master's chambers. "Please," she whimpered softly. "I—I'm sorry, Master. I swear that I won't run again. Just please don't hurt me."

He lifted a single obsidian brow at that statement and snorted. "Rei, have you ever seen a mark on one of my slaves?" When she shook her head slightly, he retrieved a tiny ampule from the top of his dresser and held it up. "I don't punish my slaves with pain. But like I warned you in the very beginning, it _**will**_ be pretty unpleasant. So just suck it up and don't squirm."

"Open up," he ordered, and when she wouldn't obey, he knelt beside her on the bed. "You have a choice, Rei. Open your mouth…" He looked down between her legs and made an obvious gesture. "…or I take your virginity. Your choice."

That only made her shake harder and she finally conceded defeat. "Yes, Master Raditz." Rei swallowed without being told to when the tiny flask was emptied into her mouth; it tasted like honeyed mead and strawberries, so at least it wasn't unpleasant. "What was in it?" She whispered fearfully.

"You'll find out soon enough, woman." Clearly unhappy about what he was doing, Raditz went back to the dresser and brought back a tube of cream and liberally applied it to her nipples and between her legs before she could make a single protest. "There we go. That's it."

It couldn't be that simple. There was no way in hell that it could be that damned easy. "What was in all of that, Master?" She asked suspiciously.

"Like I said, you'll find out soon enough. I'll be back in an hour." With that, he exited the room and closed the door, the lock clicking audibly.

_**One week prior**_

Her sandals scuffed against the wooden riser as she stepped down and was handed over to the man that had just purchased her, and Rei couldn't help but look up at him, meet his eyes, and give him just a hint of a glare. Just short of insolent enough to get slapped, but just enough to show him that she wouldn't be bossed like a common house slave, wouldn't be forced into doing anything beyond cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

The last warrior that had owned her had found that out the hard way, and was currently in a med tank for trying to force himself on her. Rei hadn't been the one to kick his ass, though… it had been his betrothed when she'd heard Rei screaming her head off, summoning her powers over fire.

"Master," she grunted, raising her chin just a bit to show that she couldn't—wouldn't—be broken. Not by him, not by any Saiyan warrior that thought that they could take her. They'd conquered her planet and her entire solar system, but they would never, _ever_ conquer her.

"Your name?" He asked, his lips twitching up in amusement at her little display of defiance. Obviously her last owner hadn't even bothered to ask, judging by the way she instantly shifted from insubordinate to surprised. "My name is Raditz," he offered when he met only silence. "And you'll find that I'm pretty easy to work for so long as you behave. Come on, I live a short ways from here; we'll walk while I explain the rules."

"Rei," she finally said, still staring at him curiously. Her eyes only widened when he studied the cuffs on her wrists and the collar around her neck. "Because I fought," she said flatly, determined to remind him that she wasn't one to be trifled with.

"Naw, really?" He chuckled. Raditz pulled a key out of his pocket, one that the auctioneer had handed him, and he instantly freed her hands. "There. Better?" He frowned when he examined her wrists; they were red and clearly irritated and scratched up in places. "I've got something for those bruises and abrasions at the house, Rei. Now… this thing around your neck… what in the hell is it for? I've never seen one of these."

"It's to suppress my powers," she snapped. "I tried to light my last owner on fire."

"May I ask why?" Raditz asked slowly, taking a step back to study her carefully.

"Because he tried to fucking rape me. Any other questions?"

"Oh. Hell, then he deserved it." Raditz snorted and rolled his eyes as he pulled her close to him and looked the collar over. "Any warrior should know how to seduce a woman if he wants some pussy. It's not exactly difficult. Ah… here we go. Same key, lucky you."

"Not that I'm complaining, but…"

Raditz tossed the collar in a trash barrel and shrugged. "You said he tried to rape you. I'm not going to do the same, so I don't think I'm in any danger of being turned into a pile of ashes. Am I?"

Suspicious that this was simply some ploy to get close enough to take advantage of her, Rei decided to be cautious, despite the fact that this was the very first warrior in over a year to show her any hint of true kindness. And she'd been through quite the list of previous masters, too. It was why she'd sold for so little, even though she'd been confirmed a virgin by a physician. Virgins typically sold for a premium and were eventually taken as mates, but she'd been such a royal pain in the ass that no one would touch her with a ten-foot pole. Until the last master, anyway.

"We'll see," she finally responded.

"Come on, little pyro. Let's walk and talk." Raditz pointed the way and tugged her up to walk beside him when she immediately took the position of a slave, five feet behind him. "I don't like talking over my shoulder. So… how many masters have you alienated? I figure it's at least five since I got you for such a good price."

"Nineteen."

"Damn. I'm amazed they haven't executed you by now or stuck you in the salt mines," he chuckled.

"I'm royalty, and I'm still a virgin," she explained. "Did you even listen to the auctioneer?" Rei huffed.

"Nope. Honestly, I was far too busy staring at your tits," he snickered. "Hey! I can look all I want, woman! You're mine, remember?" He asked seriously when she glared up at her, baring her teeth in a challenge. "While we're on the subject, let's get something straight. I'm extremely easy-going, but you _are _my slave. I _own _you. You'll do what you're told, when you're told, or I'll have to punish you."

"No stranger to that," she whispered under her breath, looking away from him.

Raditz caught the hint of sadness in her eyes and actually gave her a little pat on the back. "Don't worry. I don't punish my slaves with pain. I've found much more… _creative_ means of getting my point across. That aside, I also like to reward my slaves for doing as they're told." The way she swiftly looked back up at him, her eyebrows raised, told him that she wasn't used to such a thing at all. "Shame that I didn't listen, though… I'd bought you as a pleasure slave. Oh well. I have a few others that don't mind sharing my bed, at least. And I'm sure Minako will appreciate some help around the house with the laundry."

Rei blinked at that and actually grabbed his arm to stop him, catching herself only a moment later and quickly removing her hand, cringing as she expected to be punished for the transgression of touching him.

"Woman, I'm not going to punish you for something that stupid," Raditz snorted. "You stopped when I said Minako's name. You know her?"

Rei nodded emphatically, her fear forgotten as she felt a surge of hope. "The princess of Venus! She's my sister!"

"Oh… heh, that's funny! You're _**that**_ Rei! Shit, woman. I feel like I already know you; Mina's told me all about you and the Outers." He was glad to see her brighten a bit and decided to add to her lightening mood. "Makoto and Ami are with me as well, you know. Though honestly, I think my father's about to steal Mako from me and claim her for his mate," he snickered. "She seems to like him, so I don't mind."

They started walking again for a little while, with Rei deep in thought until what could only be the home of a very well-to-do general came in sight. No wonder he'd managed to snag four captive princesses as slaves; Raditz was apparently loaded!

"It's a working farm," Raditz explained. "And totally self-sustaining. One of very few on Vegeta-sai, in fact, since most of the planet is desert. Do you have any experience with farming, Pyro?"

"I'm good with animals, that's about it," Rei offered. "Mars is mostly desert as well and we don't grow much there." She eyed the horses and cattle with interest and nodded; slave or not, this was much better than the last place she'd been at. And she was with her fellow princesses, so she'd try to be on good behavior—well, at least as good as she was capable. "Any other rules I should be aware of?" She asked absently as she continued to eye the horses in particular.

"I'm sure it goes without saying, but you'll treat my brothers and my father with the utmost respect whenever they're here. And especially in front of them, you'll only address me as 'Master.' If it's your night to serve supper, you'll serve me first, but since you cooked, you may eat from my plate if you'd like. And if you're in my bed, you may freely address me by my name."

Rei froze at that and glared at him for the third time. "That won't be happening, Master."

"Did I mention sex? I don't think so, woman. I merely have trouble sleeping alone and all of the house slaves rotate sharing my bed. Which is extremely comfortable, I might add. Sex is optional; if you're not interested in that, I'm sure that Minako or another woman will take care of my needs beforehand. Mako would, but I've labeled her off-limits since Father's taken a shine to her." He followed her line of sight when she looked towards the corral again and he smiled. "You like horses?"

"Yeah. I helped my mother break them back on Mars. We trained war horses, mainly. Some for pleasure riding, but mostly for battle." Rei pointed at one and smirked. "That one needs to either be taken in hand or cut. If you don't geld him, he's going to be damned near unrideable for most." The glint in her eye told him that she clearly wasn't most.

"You think you can break that stud? Be my guest," Raditz snorted. "He's put me on my ass a few times."

"Watch and learn, fluffy boy," Rei replied nonchalantly, approaching the corral and vaulting it effortlessly, even in the split skirt she was wearing. She immediately calmed as she slowly approached the snorting stallion, and she whispered softly to him in Martian when he stomped and laid his ears back all the way. "Shh… it's ok, big guy. See? No leather on me at all. I'm not going to bridle you or anything, I'm just introducing myself."

Sniffing and stamping, the stud calmed a little when he didn't scent any leather on her, just as she'd said. Leather equaled bridles and saddles, and he sure as hell wasn't going to submit to being mounted. Much like the princess standing before him.

"Ah, that's it. Such a good, big gentleman, aren't you?" Rei cooed as she gently held her hand out for him to sniff, keeping her palm flat in case he decided to try and bite. She pulled an apple from her subspace and chuckled the moment his ears snapped forward in interest. "Yes, it's for you, you big baby. Go ahead and eat it." With that, she began to run her free hand other his face and neck, gently stroking and easing him into her touch. "Yes, you're such a good big boy. I don't suppose you'd let me hop on, would you? There just might be another apple in it for you if you let me ride you a little."

The horse only understood 'apple' and 'ride,' and his ears immediately went back once more until she produced another treat for him to munch on. Finished with the second offering, he licked at her palm, but when she produced a third and withheld it, he stamped impatiently.

"Ah, ah, ah… hang on, big guy." Rei backed up to the edge of the fenceline and snagged a bridle, nodding in approval at the snaffle bit attached to it. It's what she would have used on such a willful stallion back home. "You want this, baby boy? I want to bridle you. Sound fair?" Holding out the third apple, she waited for him to take it and cooed and whispered softly to him about what a good boy he was. "Ok," she added when he was through, "are you going to keep being my good boy and take this bit? It's a split bit and it won't hurt your mouth, you know. And I'm a light rider and keep a good seat."

Rei smiled as he took the bit with very little complaint and adjusted the headstall to fit him right. "There we go, all done. And I won't even bother you with a nasty old saddle, either. Come on, to the railing, since I'm so short."

Raditz gawked in amazement as his new slave fearlessly lined the stallion up with the fence and climbed up on him… and proceeded to just sit there without getting thrown on her head while she petted the black coat and kept giving the horse gentle praise for behaving. He could hear her as he approached the fenceline and she just continued to sit on the massive destrier's bare back, cooing and petting and praising him for behaving so well for her.

"I don't suppose we could ride a little, could we, big guy?" She asked gently, giving the reins the lightest tug to the right and a brush of her sandled feet on his sides. He laid his ears back again and reared just a little, but Rei clucked her tongue at him disapprovingly. "Don't get snippy with me, Mister. Tell you what. What do you want to do?" She looked to Raditz then and then to the gate. "Would you mind opening it, Master? I think he doesn't like being cooped up, and the best way to get this done quickly is let him run himself silly."

"Woman… you're either the bravest soul I've ever met… or the most foolish. That stud has dumped me on my ass several times out in the pasture."

"Watch and learn," she replied smugly, gesturing towards the gate.

Raditz sighed and opened it as requested, and the black stallion was off like a shot through the gate. And instead of falling on her ass as expected, Rei was bent low over his neck, the reins down as she gave him his head, her knees holding tightly to him as she kept her balance like a total pro.

The Saiyan couldn't keep the stupid little grin off of his face as he heard his newest little slave give a whoop and a holler, goading the horse on to go faster, harder—"come on, big boy! You run like a fucking filly!"—and as the horse whuffed loudly and made a tight, hairpin turn, Rei merely moved with him. Horse and woman were one being as she continued to run him silly all around the pasture, yelling with the pleasure of having the wind in her face and a thousand pounds of wild stud between her legs.

That thought made Raditz a little hard and he chuckled to himself at all of the nasty jokes he could make on the matter, but he continued to lean against the fence, arms folded over his chest as he took in the sight of Rei wearing the stallion out.

Eventually they returned, the horse with his head down, breathing heavily, ears forward, walking slowly like a well-broken mare. His rider was an utter vision; her cheeks were flushed, her unbound raven hair wild, her violet eyes as bright as the grin she was flashing as she smoothly dismounted. "Good boy," she cooed, petting his neck and giving it a kiss. "Come on, I got sugar cubes hiding in my subspace somewhere, and a nice, thick brush to groom you with."

"Wow, woman. I think you just made him your bitch," Raditz snickered, only to sidestep when the stud seemingly understood him and nipped at him. "Come in and clean up for supper when you're finished with him."

Rei was assaulted with hugs and kisses from her sisters in arms the moment she entered the house, still disheveled, sweaty, and covered in horsehair from where she'd groomed the stud, whom she'd named Deimos while she'd been caring for him.

"Master Raditz said he had a surprise for us, but I didn't think he meant something this awesome!" Makoto squealed, picking up the princess of Mars and swinging her around, only to put her down and have the same thing happen with Minako and then Ami.

"We're _all_ here!?" Rei exclaimed in disbelief.

Ami was the one to break the mood. "All except Usagi," she whispered sadly. "Word has it that she's at the capitol, and the prince claimed her almost immediately."

"Well then let's go break her the fuck out!" Rei yelled, only to freeze the moment a soft growl rumbled through the room, then a second… then a third.

Raditz was at her side the moment three other males rose from their seats, and he grabbed Rei by the hair at the base of her neck and tugged her from the room immediately. She fought and kicked and yelled until she was shoved into a room and Raditz locked the door behind him, and when he approached, her hands instantly erupted into flames. "You going to beat me now?" She snarled up at him fearlessly, her eyes boring into his.

It was the first genuine eye contact they'd made, and Raditz jumped a little at a tug in his stomach just as she did the same. "Fuck," he snapped out. "No, I'm not. I don't punish my slaves that way, as I told you. And I won't punish you for this. But you are going to watch your fucking mouth, especially around my father and brothers… and if I hear another word about running away… much less trying to 'rescue' the princess of Vegeta-sai from her mate, your punishment will be more severe than anything I've ever doled out. Pull or no pull."

"Pull?" Rei snorted. "The fuck is that?"

"Never mind. Now get your ass back out there, apologize to my family—_respectfully_—and then sit down for supper and keep your goddamn mouth shut for the entire meal unless you're directly addressed."

"Yes, Master," she ground through her teeth.

"Be as insolent as you want, woman, but don't you dare do that in front of my family. My father alone won't hesitate to beat the shit out of you for disrespecting me."

"Sounds like a real gem. I'll skip dinner," she said as she insulted him by turning her back on him and walked out the door. "I'll be in the stable if there's any work to be done." Back in the living room, however, Rei made a slow, respectful bow to the rest of the House of Bardock. "I apologize for my disrespect. Please forgive me; it won't happen again."

Since he had Mako in his lap and she was paying more attention to him than she ever had before—mostly for Rei's benefit—Bardock merely grunted and waved her off before murmuring something in Mako's ear that had her blushing.

"Rei-chan, aren't you going to eat something?" Ami asked worriedly, ignoring Kakarot as she usually did whenever he came over, despite the way he always tried to get her attention with compliments and offers to take her into the capitol. "You've lost a lot of weight," she added with a frown. "And I cooked a ton of fish that Kakarot caught this afternoon… they're really tasty. I even made rice with them and everything, just like back home."

Seeing the hope in Ami's eyes that she would join them at the table, Rei sighed and relented. "I'll go change clothes."

"Your room is the one right next to mine," Raditz offered, relieved that she was going to sit with them and eat. Refusing food from her master's table was an immense affront to him, and he would have been forced to punish her somehow if she hadn't stayed. Being her first day on his estate, he'd hoped to reward her instead, especially after she'd broken that douchebag of a stallion for him.

Rei was downright surprised by the size of her room when she walked in; her last master had supplied her with what equaled to a closet, but this room was spacious, and with all the windows open, it was fresh-smelling and airy. Her pleasure was dampened by the sight of a door to her right, though, right beside her queen-sized bed, and she sighed. Well, he'd been straight with her at least. Raditz _**had**_ said she'd been purchased solely as a pleasure slave.

She shed the skirt she was wearing, both sides split up to her hips to reveal her long, creamy legs, and threw that and the very low-cut top she'd been given by her last master in the hamper before taking a quick shower, working the tangles out of her hair, and dressing in something a little less revealing, but no less flattering.

The time alone also gave her a chance to reflect on her position in this new household. She was with her cousins, she would be well-fed—judging on the size of the farm—and so far Raditz hadn't harmed her. In fact, he'd even kept her from getting her ass beaten by his father. "I guess it would be best to behave… I'd hate to get sold again," she sighed heavily. "Especially when everyone else seems so happy." The fact that Makoto seemed content was the deciding factor; if anyone would have fought a cruel master tooth a nail, it would have been the princess of Jupiter. So Raditz couldn't be a bad guy if Mako was willingly serving him.

Ami was sitting next to Raditz when she entered the dining room, sharing his massive plate with him while Mako shared from Bardock's and Minako from Turles's. "Come on," Kakarot said cheerfully, waving her over. "I don't mind sharing."

"Though he'd rather be sharing with Blue," Turles snickered, and was immediately joined by a little giggle from Minako when Kakarot sighed and glanced at Ami longingly.

With a mischievous little grin, Raditz elbowed Ami lightly and pointed at the empty seat beside his brother. "Go on, Ami. Go sit with Kakarot. You can share with me on Rei's night to cook, instead. It's her first night here, after all." When she blushed and squirmed in her seat a bit, Raditz laughed and massaged her neck in what was only a brotherly fashion. "Oh, go on. Kakarot won't bite."

The Saiyan in question licked his lips at the word 'bite' and his chest rattled for a full five seconds in a seductive purr.

"Ok, fine. He might. But not at the dinner table," Raditz allowed.

"Come on, Ami, throw the poor guy a bone," Mina whispered in her ear. "You know he likes you."

"Fine," she sighed, sliding out of her chair and walking around the table to plop down next to the tall, muscular Saiyan warrior, who immediately beamed happily and held a bite of his food to her lips. Ami sighed yet again before taking the offering, but gave him a little look that said she'd only tolerate so much of him feeding her when he held his cup of wine to her lips.

"Damn, boy. Give the poor girl a break," Bardock rumbled. "Even I don't force feed Koto."

"It's because you don't want me to kick your ass," Makoto teased, tipping him a wink.

Raditz waved Rei over and fought down the urge to purr when she slipped a pair of chopsticks from her subspace and slowly took a bite of his food. "This is some sort of household tradition?" She inquired quietly.

"Saiyan tradition," Turles offered. "Sharing food with a female you're interested in courting. Or already courting. Or mated to. Raditz shares with all of you because… well…" He shrugged, unable to hide a touch of jealousy as he popped a bite of food in Minako's mouth.

_Well, if you'd make a fucking move on the woman, I wouldn't share with her anymore, _Raditz told him with his ki. _Though I really would miss that little mouth of hers. Mina is a fucking champ at sucking my cock. _

"Shut up, Raddy," Turles grumbled, while Bardock and Kakarot snickered under their breaths. "Your last masters didn't share with you?"

"No. I was given scraps after they'd finished," she replied bluntly, raising a suspicious brow when Raditz held a bite of fish to her lips. She only took it when Mina and Mako nodded at her with a look of surprise on both of their faces, and decided to ask them why it was so surprising later on. "Then I cleaned up and was forced to sleep in rooms no bigger than closets with only cast-offs for clothing and blankets." Rei blatantly ignored the looks of mixed sympathy and horror that every single person at the table was giving her, took one more bite from Raditz's plate, then rose from her seat. "Forgive me, but I'm not hungry. I'll be out in the corral if I'm needed. I mean no disrespect," she added with a little bow to Raditz.

"It's alright, woman. Go on and work with the crazy bastard for a while if it makes you happy."

"His name's Deimos," she offered before leaving the house.

"Master Raditz?"

Surprised to hear Ami speaking up on the matter, Raditz turned his head and lifted a brow. "Hm?"

"I think it would be best to show Rei some understanding and a lot of patience. She's stubborn to a fault, and she's never taken kindly to men. At all. She doesn't trust people easily, either."

"I felt the pull for her when I took her to the back to discipline her," Raditz confessed softly. "I won't harm her, you can be sure of that."

**So, that's the intro! Review and I'll hop on updating this if there's a lot of interest in it. Remember, if you don't review, I won't know that you want me to update! Got it? REVIEWS=FASTER UPDATES. Especially now that my kids are back in school! WOO!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. For what reviews I DID get, I got double the questions via PM! WOW! Ok, so I guess I'll go ahead and post this to answer some of them lol…**

Rei had become accustomed to the silent ways that Saiyans moved and over the last three years it had saved her on dozens of occasions. She heard Raditz coming up from behind, and expecting to be punished or at least reprimanded, she turned and bowed. "I apologize, Master. I meant no disrespect by leaving the table."

He knew that just from the dried tear tracks in the dust on her face, and he nodded slightly. "I'm not bothered by that. Are you alright? It's nearly dark and I thought I'd check on you."

"I'm fine… thank you," she said softly, surprised that he seemed to genuinely care. "Just making friends with all the horses," she added quietly, stroking her fingers over the side of a pale mare that she was grooming.

"Mako and the other girls say that you're a good shot with a bow. If you'd like, you can go hunting out here sometime. Just let me know beforehand; Father's not too keen on the idea of a slave with a weapon and I need to show you the property boundaries so you're not caught out by guards. I've also assigned the animal duties to you since you seem to enjoy that." His hand absently ran through her long hair and he stopped when she stiffened. "Woman, I'm not going to hurt you. I just like physical contact."

"Heh… a Saiyan that's a touchy-feely hugger. Never thought I'd see the day," she snorted as she relaxed a little and just ignored the way he was idly running his fingers through her jet-black mane.

"What can I say? I like beautiful women. You'll be warming my bed tonight, by the way." He chuckled when she stiffened again and the look in her eyes was filled with fear. "Just warming it, I assure you. I explained all of this to you earlier. Though I do plan on rewarding you later on for the way you handled that demon stallion."

"Reward?" She choked out.

"Not sex," he promised. Raditz frowned as a thought occurred to him. "How long ago was it that your last master…?"

"Yesterday morning," Rei answered flatly. She jumped when he immediately stepped forward and started tugging her clothing to the side. "The hell!?"

"Hold still," he growled, spooking the mare as he pushed Rei up against the stall. "I'm checking you for injuries."

"I'm _fine_," she snapped back defensively, righting her clothing and then engulfing her hands in flames. "I'd advise you to keep your hands to yourself, _Master_." In reality, she was terrified and deeply ashamed of the dark, hand-shaped bruises marring her breasts, thighs and hips, and didn't want anyone—let alone Raditz—seeing them. Why that mattered so much was beyond her, but she didn't want her new master to see what the last one had done to her.

Suspecting why she was arguing over such a simple matter, Raditz backed off and rolled his eyes. "Fine, just be in my bed within the hour. I retire as soon as the sun goes down."

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Mina stopped Rei in the hall when she was on her way to the kitchen, snagging her by her arm. "Please don't tell me you're wearing that to bed, girl."

"Uh… yeah. It's a nightgown, isn't it?" Rei replied sarcastically.

The princess of Venus sighed and shook her head. "He'll rip it right off of you, so spare him the effort, Rei-chan. Raditz is a snuggler, and he doesn't like clothing in the way. And don't worry, I already took care of him for the evening, so he'll keep his cock to himself," she giggled. "But if he gets a little frisky… and he probably will… just go with it and enjoy it, ok?"

"Excuse me?" Rei asked slowly.

"Look. Ami's still a virgin, isn't she? And I know for a fact that Raditz has been pleasuring her on the nights she sleeps with him. And I know this because he always requests me to come take care of him before bedtime so that he doesn't get out of hand with her and lose control." Mina gave Rei a comforting hug when the brunette's eyes went wide. "He likes to please," she explained gently. "And if you let him, he'll definitely make it worth your while. He won't even ask you to pleasure him in return. So… might as well enjoy it, right? And hey, maybe he'll give you one of his reward devices," she added with a wink and a snicker. "Bardock made them and well… they're _incredible_. You'll see," she added when Rei looked ready to ask what she was talking about. "It's not as easy to explain as it is to experience it for yourself."

After her talk with Mina, Rei was no longer hungry and simply went back to her own room before nervously cracking the door open to Raditz's bedroom. "Master?" She asked softly.

"Raditz," he corrected her lightly. "Especially in here. Lose that gown and come to bed," he ordered, waving her over.

Not embarrassed by her nudity, but by the marks all over her, Rei shook her head just a tiny bit and looked up at him in trepidation. "Mas—Raditz… please… please don't make me…"

He sputtered before nodding, already formulating a plan in his head. If she wouldn't take it off, he'd coax it off of her in a much more pleasurable manner; he'd only been planning on rewarding her that night, anyways. "Come on, then."

Rei climbed in on her side of the massive bed hesitantly, and yelped when his tail looped around her thigh and drug her over—not out of surprise, but out of pain. "I'm ok," she said quickly when he unwound the appendage and pushed her nightgown up.

Raditz let out a hiss at the sight of the huge bruises on her thighs and her sex, then growled softly at the thought of whomever had done this to her. "Who was your last master?" He snapped.

His anger on her behalf stunned her so badly that she actually answered. "Ruta," she whispered. "But… it's not a crime to hurt your slaves."

"No… but neither is beating the shit out of someone in general. Might makes right on this planet, woman. I'll be paying him a visit tomorrow," he ground out. "For now, strip," he ordered firmly.

His tone left no room for argument and a promise of that famous Saiyan anger if she didn't comply, and Rei nervously unbuttoned her gown and set it to the side, immediately covering herself with the blanket on his bed. "I'll be fine," she whispered tearfully when he produced a small jar from his nightstand.

Even if he hadn't felt the pull for her, Raditz would have been outraged over the damage done to her, and he tugged the blanket away to growl at the sight of even more bruises—all of them skillfully dealt in places that her clothing would cover. "I'm going to kill that little fucker."

Rei flinched at his first touch and was surprised when he stopped and his eyes softened upon meeting hers. "No man will ever touch you like that again, Pyro. I swear it. Now hold still and I'll treat these. It'll numb the ache and speed the healing." He waited for her to finally nod before he tugged her gently into his lap and began to gently massage the ointment into every bruise and scrape on her torso, but when she went rigid at the sensation of his fingers on her thighs, he stopped. "_Kot'tor_," he whispered in Saiyan. "Lean back against me and relax, baby."

She then felt his lips on hers and something inside of her instantly melted a little; the kiss was slow and gentle and made no demands. It only gave, and she found herself timidly returning it, hesitantly opening to him when she felt his tongue slide over her lower lip. "You taste divine," he breathed as he broke away, his hand dipping into the jar and then returning to her thighs. "You're aroused," he whispered once he was done treating the skin just under her curls. "I'd be happy to handle that for you, Rei… to show you what it _should_ be like with a Saiyan warrior."

When she trembled a little and he could smell her fear mixed in with her desire, he drug his mouth down her throat and nipped at her shoulder. "Just pleasure, I promise you, baby. I won't take your innocence unless you offer it."

Well, Mina had warned her about this and had advised her to just go with it… and why not? She'd never received sexual pleasure before and the way he was holding her and kissing her had her wanting to surrender to him. She did want him, plain and simple… even if he was Saiyan and he owned her. "Ok… I'll trust you, Master," she replied with only a touch of hesitation.

"Raditz," he sighed. "No orders in my bed, woman. In my bed, you're not my slave. You're a woman that's free to choose."

"I… I don't know what to do," she admitted with a bright coloring of her face. "Other than casual pecks on the mouth, I've never even kissed a man," she added softly. "Not like that."

Damn, even Ami hadn't been this inexperienced; the princess of Mercury had at least gotten to second base back on her home planet. Raditz sighed and turned her in his lap so that she was straddling him, soothing her sudden stiffness with gentle caresses to her back with his tail and hands. "Relax," he chuckled. "I keep my promises, and I know that Mina spoke with you, she offered to do so before she left the room."

"You… you really won't…?"

"I swear it on my tail. Just relax, beautiful. _Kot'tor_," he repeated in Saiyan as he gently nipped at her shoulder and let one of his hands slide between her legs to stroke her slowly. The surprised gasp in his ear told him that she'd definitely never done this before, and he purred at the knowledge that he was to be her first in everything. "Feel good?"

"Yes," she confessed, leaning against him as he continued the unhurried, gentle motions of his fingers as they simply slid in a tiny circle against her clit, sending little rushes of pleasure through her body. Rei gradually returned his kiss as he kept the movements of his hand gentle and slow, merely drawing soft sighs of pleasure and whimpers of delight from her mouth as his free hand caressed the rest of her.

It was only when she was tipped onto her back and she felt a hard length pressing to her inner thigh that Rei panicked, and the single hand pinning her made her struggle and cry out.

Raditz stopped at that and stared down at her in confusion… until he saw the raw terror in her eyes and realized _why_ she was fighting him. "I said I won't take you, beautiful," he assured her, releasing her arms and sliding over to lay down beside her, his cock now far enough from her sex to have her sagging back into the pillows, fighting to breathe.

Apparently the near-rape had affected her more than he'd thought, and Raditz decided not to push the issue, instead rolling to the edge of the bed to retrieve something from his nightstand. "Here," he purred, pressing the device in his hand into her folds. "I'd planned on making your first orgasm a little more personal, but clearly you're afraid of too much male contact."

Feeling something warm latch on to her, Rei jumped and looked down between her legs to see a silvery substance spreading over all of her sensitive areas. "What the hell…?"

"It's called a burning ball. All of my female slaves wear one. It will shift at the feeling of water so that you can properly wash, and will automatically remove itself an hour before your period starts. It also acts as a contraceptive. Quite the little multitasker, if you ask me."

"It's… some sort of restraint, then?" Rei asked in trepidation, imagining exactly how painful any form of punishment would be if it was inflicted between her thighs.

"No, it's a device to reward you with. When you do your work and don't argue, you'll be rewarded with pleasure. Sometimes several times a day," he added with a chuckle. "Ask Mako about the first time she made me a cheesecake, she was in her room for the majority of the evening afterwards, trying not to yell every time she came."

Rei turned bright red at that and her eyes grew as wide as saucers when Raditz showed her a small remote with all of the controls written in Saiyan glyphs. "So it…?"

Raditz smiled and nodded when he pushed a button and she immediately went rigid in reaction. "Damn woman, and that's just the warming up phase. I can't wait to see your reaction when it really gets going." Setting the controller to the side, he bent down and kissed her, chuckling at her shocked expression. "Just enjoy it, beautiful," he instructed as he let his hands lazily wander her, gently caressing her breasts, her stomach, hips and thighs. "After tonight, you'll be anxious for every evening when you go to bed. I have them all programmed, you know."

"Programmed?" She squeaked, trembling as she felt something between her legs gently stroking over her clit. It felt like a finger gliding back and forth, but it was the lightest of touches and it was simply maddening and wonderfully relaxing at the same time.

"Yup. I believe in going to bed on a high note, and also starting the day off pleasantly. When you go to bed at night, just tell the burning ball, 'Raditz, I want you,' and it'll make love to you for an hour. It will also serve as your alarm clock and wake you with pleasure every morning. If you're good, anyway. If you don't do your work or smart off to me or my family, you go without."

"And if I downright piss them off like tonight?" She wondered aloud, unable to stop herself from speaking the words as the fingers turned into something wet and warm—it felt almost like a tongue and the very idea of it was setting her on fire.

"Just don't, alright?" He purred into her hair before capturing her lips in a slow, searing kiss, his chest rumbling happily as she moaned. Apparently the burning ball was kicking it up a notch, because her hands were actually fisting in his hair and he heard her whimpering as one of her legs went around his waist instinctively. "That's it, baby," he whispered as he broke the kiss and trailed his lips down to suck gently on a nipple while she wriggled against him and moaned his name. "I can smell how close you are, Rei. Just let go."

The princess of Mars's eyes rolled back as he switched his mouth to her other breast and his hands began to gently caress her mound and the insides of her thighs, and she gave a strangled cry the moment a level of pleasure she'd never experienced before crashed over her suddenly, wiping out all coherent thought for several moments.

"Mmm… you smell divine, Pyro," Raditz purred, rolling them so that she was resting on top of him, kissing her again while she whimpered and her hips moved on occasion in reaction to the burning ball; it was giving her a slow, occasional lick, and she could feel a pair of fingers gently stretching her entrance. It felt heavenly, but when it sucked at her clit she trembled and clutched at the man below her. "Too much."

"Oh well… I suppose one is enough for tonight," he answered, letting his disappointment show as he turned off the burning ball and simply purred while he held her and nipped and licked at her shoulder.

"No," Rei whispered, coming back to her senses the moment she felt his teeth rake over her shoulder and he growled out something soft and possessive.

"I'm not going to bite you, woman," Raditz purred, giving her another little nip just to make her shiver with pleasure. "Now go to sleep, and your burning ball with wake you in the morning with a nice, earthshaking orgasm," he added with a little chuckle. "Which in turn will also wake me, and then we'll get to work after and I'll show you some of the property."

##################################

Rei awoke while it was still dark and wiped at the sleep in her eyes, rolling out of bed automatically, blinking only for a moment at the sound of soft purring beside her under the covers. She blushed as she remembered it all from the night before and briefly wondered why the burning ball hadn't acted as an alarm clock as he'd told her it would; maybe she'd done something last night to disappoint or upset him?

She was surprisingly a little bothered by that idea, but brushed it off as she dressed for the day and started breakfast in the kitchen. "Poor Mako's probably been doing all the morning cooking… I think I'll give her a break."

Alarm clock orgasm or none, Rei couldn't help but reflect on her good fortune; if her sisters were all happy with where they were and how their master treated them, Raditz couldn't be a bad man. But still, she knew not to get her hopes up. The first master and a couple others had all tried to butter her up a bit before they'd all attempted to take her virginity and make her their mate. And when she'd refused, they'd done a total one-eighty and had started beating her instead.

Popping the massive casserole in the oven that she'd learned to make from Mako, Rei couldn't help but smile in contentment for the first time in a few years as she sagged into a kitchen chair and cracked open a book from her subspace.

Her peace was broken a full hour later by a curious warmth between her thighs, and Rei's eyes went wide as she realized that it was the burning ball acting as an alarm clock; apparently Raditz simply had it set for a certain time and hadn't heard the auctioneer mention that she was a very early riser. "Mmmph… _oh my God_," she whispered when it suddenly licked the bead buried in her folds. "No… not in the kitchen… please… please _stop…_"

Rei sagged in relief when it listened; apparently 'please stop' was the phrase needed to cease the attention it was giving her. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit is right," Raditz growled crankily from the doorway. "My exact thought, in fact… when I woke _alone_."

Rei blinked at that and the fact that he was totally naked before frowning and pointing at the stove. "I made breakfast for everyone… be grateful. After all, it's hardly _my_ fault that you were too busy ogling my tits to listen to the auctioneer _at all_." When he matched her expression and took a step forward, she stood to meet her punishment head-on. "He said I'm an early riser, _Master_. I get up well before dawn every morning."

"Then I'll be resetting your burning ball," he ground out as he threw her over his shoulder and she squealed loudly in reaction, pounding at his back ineffectually with her tiny fists. "And I'll be punishing you for getting smart with me this fucking early," he added as he kicked his door shut behind him and dumped her on the bed.

"Bring it," Rei snarled, her hands erupting into flames as he climbed in beside her. "I swear I'll dish out evenly whatever I receive, _Master_."

Carefully moving her hands away, Raditz snorted and nipped at her throat gently. "Good… because I'd love nothing more than for you to come all over me, woman."

Startled by his words, the fire died out instantly and she blinked up at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, pyro. Now… are you going to undress, or do I need to rip these clothes off?" Raditz rolled his eyes impatiently when he smelled her instant fear; it was far too early for this shit, and he was never a morning person… least of all when he woke alone. Sitting her up, he simply yanked her top over her head, then shoved her back into the pillow again so he could remove her skirt and underwear in one smooth motion. "Much better."

"Please don't," Rei whispered the moment she felt him pressing against her inner thigh. "Please… I'm sorry, Master, just please don't do this…"

"I'm not going to fuck you," he snorted as he reached into the bedside table and fished around for a moment. He finally found what he was looking for and pressed a burning ball to the tip of his aching cock, then gave it a lengthy order in Saiyan. "But I am going to come as close to it as I can," he explained as he felt a warmth spreading through his groin, followed by a gentle stroking along his length.

He'd linked their burning balls, and Raditz gave a quiet groan just as Rei shivered at the sensation of a mouth exploring her sex, getting right to the point by licking and nibbling at her clit. "M—Master…?"

"Raditz," he purred over her lips as his eyes half-closed and a hot, wet mouth engulfed him slowly. "Mmm… feels so good, baby… come with me," he sighed happily before claiming her lips and sliding his hands down to her hips to hold her tightly to him.

He could sense her quickly closing in on an orgasm as she whimpered and clutched at him, her body rocking into his just as he felt a tight, wet sheath engulfing him completely. "_That's_ it," he groaned, moving against her in time as her legs wrapped about his waist. His mouth roamed her lips, her throat and her breasts when she moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair, her shallow, panting breaths in his ear and driving him closer to the finish line.

"Raditz… dear gods…" The mouth was no longer licking, but sucking at her clit as two fingers began to gently thrust into her, and as they hooked inside of her and pressed a spot that had her seeing stars, she cried out in ecstasy and kissed him forcefully.

Raditz groaned in response as the warmth gripping him tightened and moved harder, milking him powerfully all over her thighs and stomach. He continued to kiss her passionately as the burning ball attached to each of them persistently rode them through the aftershocks, but eventually he gave another order in Saiyan and the pleasure stopped. "Now that's a much nicer way to wake up," he purred. "Wouldn't you agree, baby?"

"Mmm… thought you said… punishment…" Rei replied groggily, her mind still hazy as hell from her climax.

"Yup," he chuckled. "You have to go take a shower now since I made a mess all over you."

Blushing to her toes as she looked down, Rei trembled at the knowledge of what they'd just done and skittered back and out from under him.

The naked terror in her eyes made Raditz sag and huff. "Baby, we just enjoyed each other, that's all."

"B—b—but—"

Ok, maybe that hadn't been the best idea; she _had_ been nearly raped only two mornings ago and was even still sporting the evidence of it on her skin. "Damn it… Rei, I'm sorry," he whispered, snatching a towel from his dresser before coming back over to clean her up. He tugged her shaking body to him tightly in a hug after that and purred comfort to her softly, his hands gently stroking up and down her back. "It's ok, baby, I promise that I'll wait awhile to do that again. Let you get used to the idea." He only removed his chin from the top of her head when her shaking had eased and he kissed her tenderly. "Better?"

All Rei knew was that she'd gone from the fear of being punished to being pleasured, then to seeing the evidence of his desire all over her… and it scared the hell out of her. But he hadn't hurt her and he was even trying to comfort her… and why did she even care that she'd clearly upset him a little? "Yes, Master," she whispered, "I'm fine."

"Raditz," he corrected her softly, "in my room, I'm only Raditz." He smiled when she gave him a tiny nod and tugged her out of the bed, scooped her up in his arms, and took her to his bathtub. "Come on, I'll help you wash up, Rei."

Too surprised by his genuine kindness and reassured by the fact that his organ lay flaccid against his thigh, Rei let him place her in the tub once it was full and didn't utter a complaint while he washed her and then himself. It was only when he pulled her into his lap and began to kiss her that she trembled afresh and shook her head.

"I can't just hold you and kiss you, beautiful?" Raditz asked softly, his voice dripping with disappointment.

"I'd rather you didn't," she replied carefully, afraid that she'd anger her new master and discover what real punishment would be like. Rei was surprised by his reaction though; he merely released her and sighed heavily as he climbed out of the tub and offered her a towel. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I meant it, Rei. In here, you're not a slave, and I'll never force you into anything. You just have to say 'no.' Alright?"

"Yes, Master," she replied as she removed her last change of clothes from her subspace and put them on quickly, embarrassed by her bruises and the scars from the last two years.

"_Raditz_," he reminded her.

Not a slave in his bedroom, huh? Did that mean she could speak her mind freely, too? Well… there was only one way to find out. "Master, calling you by your name is not going to make me any less your slave. Even if I'm free to choose in your bed, you still own me the moment I step out of your door. So I would prefer to stick with the formalities," she said firmly, hiding her growing fear as he frowned and growled at her.

"Woman, if you're just testing me to see if I'll whoop your ass like your old owners, you may as well save us both the headache," Raditz ground through his teeth. "I am not going to beat you like they did."

"And if I'm not testing you? If I'm merely pointing out a fact that you don't like to acknowledge? That you own me? I'm not your _lover_, Master. I'm your _slave_ and nothing will change that."

"Fine, then. I'll free you," Raditz said seriously, calling her bluff to see what her reaction would be. When she only glared at him, a tiny smirk tugged his lips up and he tipped his head in respect for her. "Well, at least you're not stupid, pyro. I was wondering if you'd ever thought about that possibility."

"Yes, I have. Being freed will only leave me up for grabs to the first warrior that can take me in a fight. There aren't many, but someone would manage to claim me by right of combat eventually."

"Then what _do_ you want, Rei? You obviously don't want to be a slave, and you don't want me to free you, either. Heh… I suppose if you really piss me off I could always turn you out," he mused aloud. The way she rolled her eyes told him she didn't believe him for a moment and he snickered. "Oh, get a sense of humor, woman. Come on," he ordered as he used his ki to dry himself, then took her hand and led her back to the bed. "Sit down, I'm going to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" She asked incredulously. Everything she'd been through during the last two years had her hair standing on end, but the way he nonchalantly removed the burning ball from his cock and started throwing on clothes only confused her. He wasn't mad at her?

Finally dressed, Raditz sat beside her and kissed her forehead. "Ok, pyro. Here's the deal. You're free, but I'm not too hot on the idea of letting anyone else know it. Especially my brothers… you don't know them like I do, and Kakarot especially has the biggest mouth on Vegeta-sai. And if Turles knows, Kakarot knows. And if Kakarot knows…" He shrugged and sighed. "Then _**everybody**_ knows. And if word gets out that a gorgeous unmated _free_ woman is living on my land, you'll be bombarded with so many suitors it would make us all insane."

The deep frown and the anger in her eyes made Raditz sigh and rub at the bridge of his nose. "You don't believe me. Ok, I get it… I probably wouldn't believe me, either. But you're free, whether or not you believe it. Just keep up appearances in front of my family and your sisters so that they don't know. Because if your sisters know, my brothers will find out. Probably my father as well, since him and Mako are likely going to pairbond." A snort from her had him rubbing between his eyes again. "What?"

"How in the hell am I free if I have to act like I'm your slave in front of everyone _but_ you? That is the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard in my life, Master."

"_Raditz_, woman. My name is Raditz. And I'll even pay you wages under the table if you want, damn it."

Rei stood up and stalked over to the door, but stopped before opening it. What if he wasn't joking…? It sounded stupid, but… "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want you to be happy," he answered honestly. No way in hell was he going to breach the subject of the pull, though. Not yet. He'd let her get settled, get used to him and lose that edge of fear in her eyes whenever she looked at him. Then he'd bring up the fact that he wanted her as his mate. "But I don't have a clue how I'm going to handle it if you're insolent to my father or my brothers," he added thoughtfully. "So if you want to be a free woman, you are. I just highly stress that you act the part of a slave whenever we aren't alone."

"Whatever," she huffed as she turned the knob and left the room, only to smell burning casserole. "Oh no," she groaned as she rushed to the stove, only to find Makoto salvaging what she could. "Shit… and I'd made it to spare you from cooking."

"Ah, it's ok!" The goddess of Jupiter replied brightly. "I managed to save almost all of it; only the edges were burnt." She continued to remove the inedible parts as she grinned and winked at Rei. "So…? How was your first night with Master Raditz? Did he manage to charm his way past your cherry like he did mine?" The bright coloring to the miko's face made her laugh. "Guess that's a no! MINA!" She shouted across the house, "YOU OWE ME FIVE CREDITS!"

"Damn, REALLY!?" Mina shouted back. "I THOUGHT FOR SURE HE'D WEASEL HIS WAY INTO THAT SNATCH!"

"I hate you both so much right now it isn't even funny," Rei grumbled, shooting Raditz a dirty look when he entered the kitchen, laughing at them all. "You knew that they took bets?"

"No," he snickered, "I didn't. That's why it's so funny! And don't look so insulted, woman; you should be proud! Ami is the only other woman that's ever managed to share my bed and keep her virginity. I bow to both of you! Your willpower is unmatched!"

"You bow to no slave," Bardock rumbled as he stepped into the kitchen, glaring at his son.

"What about me?" Mako asked lightly, turning her head to grace the older warrior with a soft, seductive smile. "If I asked nicely, would you get on your knees for me?"

Rei noted the way that Mako's eyes sparkled a little when Bardock licked his lips and glanced between her legs, a brief purr erupting from his chest as he clearly thought about taking her with his mouth. "Um… well… guess that answers _that_ question," Rei mumbled as she started filling plates and setting them out for the males in Raditz's family.

"Mako has my father whipped and she isn't even putting out," Raditz murmured in her ear. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Switching to Japanese, Rei turned to the brunette in question. "Do you even like him?" She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the thought; Bardock was a little older than most of the men Mako had dated back on Earth. "Or are you just trying to keep from getting beat in exchange for turning him down?"

Mako gaped at her for a long moment before her face finally softened in understanding. "Iie, Rei-chan," she replied gently. Sticking to Japanese, she pulled Rei out of the room. "Look, I was suspicious, too, Rei. But I was also the first of us that Raditz purchased, and he has _never_ harmed me, even when I've gotten mouthy as hell with him. And trust me, I got _really_ mouthy during those first couple of months. So mouthy that Turles tried to take me out back once and Raditz stopped him."

"Oh, so your happy wannabe mate didn't protest the idea of his son kicking your ass?"

"No, since Bardock wasn't even here until a year after I arrived. I'm telling you, Rei, you can _trust_ Raditz. He's not going to hurt you, and he's definitely not going to let his family hurt you, either. Though for his sake, I hope you don't test that out. Raditz and Turles got into it pretty bad when I called Turles a butt-fucking son of a bitch, so please do us all a favor and just be polite to them all." Mako cringed at the very thought of Rei popping off to Turles or Bardock; the fact that Raditz had felt the pull for her only cemented the idea of him flipping out on the first male to lay a hand on the princess of Mars. _Dear gods, I'd tell her if Raddy hadn't sworn me to secrecy._

"Do you even like Bardock?" Rei grunted.

"Actually…" Mako sighed and her eyes got all sparkly again as she glanced back towards the kitchen. "He really wants to marry me, but I don't want to move things along too fast." She blushed at that and shrugged. "I wouldn't mind just sleeping with him, but he's too old for that; he's already made it clear that he'll wind up biting me in the process. So I told him I'd think about letting him court me."

"So you like him." Mako's nod and starry-eyed look confirmed that and Rei sighed. "Well, good for you, I guess. I still say we should all storm the palace and rescue Serenity. Is Chibi-Usa there, too?"

"Last I heard, Chibi had escaped and no one's found her," Mako sighed sadly. "And don't bring up escaping again, Rei. You'll get yourself killed if you leave the compound without an escort, you _know_ that. The moment someone sees that you're not flying and asks for your papers, you'll be found out and executed."

They wouldn't even need that much, since Rei carried the mark of a disobedient slave on the back of her neck, just below her hairline. If she was stopped and found without an escort, they only had to check for the brand before they cut off her head. "Fine," she whispered sadly, "I'll stay. But only because I wouldn't want to worry you, Mako-chan."

"That's my girl," the princess of Jupiter replied, bending down to kiss her forehead. "Now, let's—" She was cut off by Bardock yelling about how much he hated not being able to understand what foreign slaves were saying and her eyes flashed with anger. "_**MAYBE**_ I was talking to Rei about giving you head tonight! But you'll never know since you wanted to be an asshole and interrupt us! Wanna complain some more, Bardock!?" She added as she came back into the room.

"Pull or no pull, I'd still slap her for that, Father," Turles muttered under his breath.

"_Bring it_, Mister Butt Pirate," Mako snapped at him, but before she could take a step towards Bardock's middle son, the scarred warrior was between them and nipping at her shoulder just hard enough to bruise and communicate who was in charge. "Bite me and you'll pay for it in broken bones, Saiyan."

"I'd probably enjoy it," Bardock purred in her ear. "Now stop baiting the boy. And Turles, show more respect for my future mate. Slave or not, she's still my woman."

"Call me a slave again and you can warm your own fucking bed for the rest of your life," she snarled as she punched him in the arm.

"Can't we all just _get along_!?" Raditz yelled as he sat down at the head of the table. "Ye gods, it's not even sunup yet! Can we save the bitching and moaning for this afternoon?"

Bardock smirked and nodded before slinging Mako over his shoulder and scooping up a tray full of food. "We'll be taking our meal outside, boy," he informed Raditz over the sound of Mako yelling and her attempts to kick out of his grasp.

"Good! Respect your host, old man! Get all of that yelling out of my dining room!" Raditz ordered, barely able to conceal a smile at the sight of the struggling Jovian.

"Hey, I wouldn't mind eating outside," Minako remarked as she looked pointedly at Turles… who, as usual, acted as if he hadn't heard her and just sat and started to eat. With a sigh, she sat down next to him but pulled her own plate to her, ignoring him in turn when the pirate growled.

"I got enough for both of us," Turles grunted, shoving her plate away. "Eat, woman."

"No," she replied flatly, tugging it back over. When he yet again shoved it away and growled at her, Mina only turned to Raditz. "Master Raditz, may I please eat my breakfast? I'm awfully hungry."

"Ok, children, that's enough. Rei, go eat with Turles and please for the love of all the gods, _don't _piss him off. Minako, come eat with me. Turles, _you_ need to learn to take a hint when a lady makes it clear that she's willing to be courted."

"And me?" Ami giggled from her own plate on the other side of the table.

"Baby boy Kaka's on his way, Blue, so don't look too fucking smug," Turles snorted, followed by a laugh when she blushed and sank into her chair. "Eat," he added, pointing his fork at Rei.

Rei just did as she was told, not wanting to start an argument with the surly warrior, and made it a point to finish quickly. "If I may be excused, I'd like to go work in the stables, Master?"

"No, I'm going to show you the property line," Raditz said as he took a final bite. "Gods, woman, you barely even ate. Are you sure you're full?" He asked as he surveyed how much food was left on her side of Turles's plate.

"Not used to eating much," she replied in an embarrassed whisper. "I get full quickly."

"We'll change that," he said seriously. "Make sure you eat whenever you're hungry, and if anyone tries to stop you from raiding the kitchen, you come find me. I could see your ribs this morning, woman."

Biting back a nasty remark, Rei just nodded. "Yes, Master. Thank you." After all, he was being ridiculously kind with the offer to eat freely; none of her previous masters had ever done so and some of them had even whipped her for eating what they deemed to be too much.

"In fact, here," Raditz said as he walked back in from the kitchen. He handed her a basket that was loaded with food and snorted when Mina 'aaaawed' from across the room. "Hush, Minako. She's too skinny and you know it."

"Doesn't make it any less romantic," she giggled, giving Rei a wink when the goddess of fire flipped her off. "Go on and have a nice little picnic, you two… while I…" She sent Turles a little glare. "…continue to eat _inside_ when I'd rather be _outside_."

"Hey! I would have fed you, woman!" Turles snapped. "You forget your place and you're not going to order me around!" The hurt look in her eyes immediately made him shut his mouth, but he opened it again in a yell when he felt someone whack him in the back of the head. "The fu—woman, you _don't _know who you just fucked with," Turles snarled at Rei, who was snarling right back at him, her hands engulfed in flames.

"She clearly likes you, you fucking dumbass! _**Why**_ is beyond me, but if you hurt my little sister's feelings one more time, I'll make sure my hand's on fire the next time I slap you!" She yelled loudly.

Raditz moved fast to get between them, but before he could, Turles's feet were frozen in place and a fairly terrified Ami was holding her hand out to keep them that way. "Damn, Blue. Never knew you had it in you," Raditz remarked as he shoved Rei behind him.

"He upset Mina," Ami said softly, "and I won't let him hurt Rei-chan. She's been through too much."

"When I get out of here, I'm going to hurt _you_!" Turles threatened Ami as he tried in vain to use his ki to melt the ice blocks over his boots.

"The hell you will," another voice said emotionlessly from the doorway.

Trying for a nervous smile, Ami didn't protest when Kakarot strode over to her and wrapped his tail around her waist possessively. "Thank you, Kakarot."

"Even if she's a slave, Rei's right, Turles. You should be nicer to Minako… and if I'd been close enough, I would have hit you, too," Kakarot rumbled. "Touch Ami or Rei and you'll have to deal with me. Understood?" He waited for Turles to grunt before kissing Ami on the forehead. "You can let him go now, _r'sha_."

Ami turned bright red at the very intimate term of endearment, but she melted the ice and didn't protest when Kakarot took a seat and tugged her down into his lap. She owed him big-time, after all.

Turles turned to find Mina gone, the scent of her tears hanging in the air, and he growled loudly at Rei and Raditz before storming out of the dining room, slamming the door behind him.

"Rei, if you ever do that again…"

"Whatever, _Master_," Rei snorted. "The little bastard deserved it and you know it. Minako's clearly in love with him. Honestly though, I want to know _what _she even fucking sees in him! He's intolerable!"

"He's also pissed as hell about her sharing my bed," Raditz said angrily, his tail thrashing behind him. "And don't whatever me, woman. I nearly went toe-to-toe with him over you, and I would have gotten my ass beaten."

Ignoring the last part, Rei waved at Minako's empty seat. "If your brother is so pissed about Mina sleeping with you, Master, then _**stop sleeping with her**_!" She shouted. "It's not fucking rocket science you big stupid ugly monkey!"

"_What_ did you just call me?" He ground out roughly.

Leaning in close, Rei stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against the shell of his ear. "I called you… a big… stupid… _ugly_ fucking monkey… _Master_," she growled softly. "Did you hear it that time? Or do I need to clean the shit out of your ears?"

**MWUHUHAHAHAHAHA I love ending on a cliff-hanger confrontation! Hopefully this chapter answered some questions, too, so please drop me a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy, Ana!? Are ya!? Huh huh huh huh!? You'd better be, woman! :P Heh, you know I love you… if I didn't, I wouldn't have updated! **

** That said, my same note on Penance about reviews=updates still holds true. Please give this author some feedback and some love if you want a speedy next chapter!**

The goddess of fire immediately found herself pinned to the wall with a furious Saiyan in her face, but only her trembling hands betrayed her terror as she stared daggers up at him. "Do it," she breathed only loud enough for him to hear. "I fucking _dare_ you."

With a hard nip to her shoulder, Raditz merely growled and tried to get a handle on his beast, which was absolutely climbing the walls at the implied challenge from the woman it had recognized as its true mate. "You're forbidden from leaving the house until further notice," he ground out, "and while I'm gone, I expect you to clean every bathroom absolutely spotless. And it's _still_ your night to cook," he added before releasing her and stomping out of the house.

"That went better than I thought it would," Kakarot mumbled without even taking his eyes from the princess in his lap, who he was feeding delicate little bites of food to. "That bite to your shoulder means he's very interested in you, by the way."

Slumping to the floor in a shaking heap, Rei bit down on her trembling lower lip and silently willed herself not to cry.

"Shit," Kakarot hissed, gently pushing Ami out of his lap. "Go on, Blue. Same thing we had to do for Mako last time." The youngest of the House of Bardock went into the kitchen and returned with a glass of something strong and pressed it into Rei's hands while Ami tried to soothe her in Japanese. "Drink, Rei." He patted her head gently as soon as she emptied the glass and turned her face up so that she was looking at him. "Raditz won't hurt you, so don't get too upset, ok? You just pissed him off and he flew off somewhere to cool down."

"He wasn't joking about the bathrooms, though," Ami added with an attempt at a smile. "I've seen Mako on bathroom detail pretty often. Trust me when I say that that's a very typical punishment around here. Or rather, it used to be until Mako stopped sassing back so much."

###############################

Sighing for the millionth time as Bardock refused to let her feed herself and he held a bite of Rei's breakfast casserole to her lips, Mako knew she couldn't take anymore. "Ok, I've held still and I haven't complained for almost an hour, Bardock. I can feed myself."

"You know it's Saiyan tradition," he grunted. "I just want you to know that I'll take care of you, Koto."

"I know you would if I let you bite me," she replied gently, "but…"

"But what?"

"But I'll still be a slave, even if we're mated and… I don't want that. And I want to go home and—" Mako was cut off by a forceful kiss meant to shut her up and she sputtered when he pulled away. And she'd always envisioned their first kiss to be softer, too. More romantic… and if it had been, she might have let it lead to a little bit more. "Damn it, Bardock, I—"

"The moment I mate you, consider yourself a free woman, Koto. I'd never keep my mate in bondage." He grinned at that and nipped at her shoulder. "Unless, of course, you're into bondage. I'd be more than happy to tie you up and make you scream for hours."

At any other time, she would have laughed at the joke, but Mako was deadly serious as she met his eyes and felt that damnable pull for the hundredth time. "Raditz owns me, Bardock. Not you. You can't free me and you know it."

"That puppy will do whatever I tell him to do," Bardock growled. "And he wouldn't dare keep you here if you were my mate."

"No, but I'll still be a slave, even if it's only on paper," she whispered, sliding out of his lap and onto the grass. "And Bardock? That was a really sucky first kiss," she added with a tiny smile that was meant to make him lose that thoughtful frown.

"Yeah, it was," he sighed as he tugged her back into his lap, burying his face in her hair to draw in her soothing scent. "But in my defense, I've never kissed anyone before. You know it's not a Saiyan custom."

"You really never kissed Romayna?" Mako asked incredulously. "Not to pry or anything, but… then what in the hell do Saiyans do with their mouths when they're making love?"

"Bury their teeth in each other's marks," he chuckled just before nipping at her shoulder. "It feels amazing, you know… and it strengthens the mating bond at the same time, which also feels wonderful." He couldn't keep his beast from purring as he nibbled at the cloth covering the spot where he wanted to bite her, his groin tightening at the very idea of biting down as hard as he could.

"None of that," Mako whispered as she cupped his face and brought it to hers. "My status as a slave aside, if you want this, Bardock, we take it slow. _Very_ slow. Ok?"

He nodded slightly as he brushed the tip of his nose over hers and shifted her slightly in his lap so that his erection was pressing into her core. "Show me how to kiss you," he breathed over her lips.

Falling under the spell of his tail pheromones, Mako let go and began to kiss him lightly, her fingertips stroking his jaw as her other hand threaded through his hair and her hips rocked slowly over him.

"Wish I could turn your burning ball on right about now," he purred when she broke away, his mouth automatically going back to her shoulder, where he tugged the cloth to the side and groaned at the taste of her skin. Bardock was actually panting at that point as he fought down his beast and the driving need to bury his teeth in her flesh, his hands gripping her hips while he ground up into the cloth concealing her heat.

"Did I fucking stutter?" Mako snorted, tugging his mouth back to hers, making him groan with another slow movement of her body. "No biting," she reminded him between slow, toe-curling kisses. _So much for slow_, she mentally sighed. Bardock was simply too old for a little bit of light necking; she was going to have to get him off if she wanted to escape without her shoulder marked and a sore snatch.

"Koto… need… need to stop," Bardock managed breathlessly between heated kisses, groaning into her mouth every time her tongue slowly stroked over his in time with the movements of her hips.

"Hush, honey…" Mako then released his mouth to trail hers down her throat, eliciting another loud, lust-filled response from the powerful warrior, nipping and kissing a line of fire to the hemline of his shirt. "Just this once," she breathed, "and then you're going to court me properly, you got me, Saiyan?"

Bardock could only gasp at the sensation of his tail being petted when she unwound it from his waist, her other hand tugging down on his thick, black fatigues. "Anything, _r'sha_… need you…"

Turning a little red at the sound of that word, Makoto caressed his bared cock before leaning down to flick her tongue out to taste the gleaming proof of his desire, then engulfed him in her mouth the moment he bucked and ground out something unintelligible.

The princess of Jupiter knew what she was doing as she worked him hard and slow, using her tongue to stroke and please him as she moaned at the way he was gripping and tugging at her hair and gasping her name in ecstasy. She knew it had been a long time for him and wasn't surprised when he came quickly, and she grinned as she licked him clean and swallowed the proof of his pleasure. "Now. Court me properly and tell your beastie to behave," she finally giggled, immensely pleased with his satisfied, awestruck expression.

"_Kio m'yo_ has stepped out for the moment," Bardock chuckled softly. "And while he's vacationing in the back of my head, I think I should return the favor."

Mako squirmed the moment she was flat on her back, and while feeling him beneath her skirt and tugging at her panties with his teeth had her aching and soaking wet, she managed a strangled no. "No," she panted when Bardock came up for air and looked at her in confusion. "If you do that, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from asking for more," she admitted. "Slow, ok? I only went down on you to calm your beast, Bardock."

The look of disappointment on his face made her melt a little and she sighed as she pulled him to her for a kiss. "I just wanted to give you the same pleasure, Koto," he rumbled over her lips. "I wouldn't have taken you unless you'd wanted me to, I swear it."

Giving him another gentle kiss, she just grinned and rolled her eyes. "I swear, you're deaf, Bardock. I didn't think you'd take advantage; I just didn't want to wind up fucking _**your**_ brains out." His obvious disappointment was still there though, and she sighed. "Maybe… maybe another time, Bardock. I want you too much right now to be able to control myself, ok?"

Just as she'd expected, that look turned to a little smirk of pride and she returned it with a chuckle. But damn it, if she didn't want him to just slide back down and lick and suck until she was a puddle of quivering pudding! "I really need to ask Raddy if he'll turn on my burning ball the moment I get back," she sighed.

"I'm pleased that I have such an effect on you, Koto _m'yo_," Bardock purred as he nipped and nuzzled her throat and her shoulder, slowly going back and forth between the two.

"Yeah, yeah… let's get back to the house, ok? I've got to prepare some stuff for lunch, and then I need to tend the gardens."

#####################################

Rei tossed a rag into the wash and emptied her bucket in the toilet before washing to the elbows and swearing at length about how disgusting Saiyan males were. But at least the bathrooms weren't nearly as gross as the ones she'd cleaned in the past; Mako clearly had cleaned them recently, whether because she'd annoyed their master or because it simply needed to be done, she didn't know—but there hadn't been nearly as much piss under the seats or hairs clinging to them as she'd thought there would be.

"That was fast," Kakarot chuckled when she returned after a shower and a change of clothes.

"I've cleaned plenty of nasty bathrooms. And these weren't as bad as I'm used to." Rei went right to the kitchen and hesitated before touching a loaf of bread and just staring at it with hunger in her eyes.

"He said to eat, Rei. If you're hungry, then eat," Kakarot encouraged her. But when she made no move to do just that, he gave her a pat on the shoulder and took the loaf from under her hand, went to the fridge, and started pulling out some other stuff. Clearly, she was so used to only eating when it was offered that she couldn't get over the fear of being accused of stealing.

Rei gave him a grateful smile and felt actual tears in her eyes when he made a massive sandwich that reminded her of Scooby Doo from when she was a kid and set it on a plate in front of her. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Not a problem. Anything for Blue's sister," he purred. "Now eat. You _**are**_ too skinny, Rei."

She sat down at the smaller table in the kitchen and ate until she felt a little sick before pushing away over half the enormous sandwich, giving Kakarot a contrite look.

"It's ok. Your stomach's still all tiny. I'll eat it, though!" With that, Kakarot scooped it up, practically unhinged his jaw, and ate the rest in three bites.

"Holy shit. I've only ever seen Usagi eat like that," Rei said it sheer awe.

"They all eat like that in the House of Bardock," Ami giggled as she joined them at the table and gave her sister a tight squeeze.

"Speaking of the House of Bardock… Mako and Mina… I get how they wound up here mostly unharmed, but you…?"

Ami laughed at that and Kakarot snickered into his hand before tipping the blue-haired genius a little wink and sniffing loudly, which just set her off to laughing even harder. "Well," she finally explained when Rei just looked confused, "as you know, I'm always prepared for anything, and I still have a whole copy of my lab in my subspace. So when I first landed, I stripped down, changed clothes, and did some major tweaking to the glamour with my computer to make me appear as a boy instead of a woman."

Rei blinked at that and for a moment nearly declared such a thing ingenious, but stopped short and pointed at Kakarot's nose. "He sniffed you out."

"Not exactly," Kakarot chuckled. "She'd used some sort of chemical pheromone thingy to make her smell like a male."

"And drugs from my second lab to suppress my periods and my fertile times so that the scent wouldn't break though," Ami added with a smug little smile. "It worked for over a year, you know. Then one day, my body started showing immunity to the hormone suppression and my extremely confused owner sold me. It was either that or make a pass at what he thought was a male from Earth below the legal mating age," she snickered. "Oh gods, that was so funny, Rei! You had to have been there to see the look on his face when his tail started swishing around and his beast started climbing the walls from the scent of a woman in heat! But combined with the pheromones I was wearing, he honest to gods thought he was a straight man turning gay!"

"So… how did Raditz wind up owning you?" Rei wondered aloud, realizing that Kakarot would have never allowed his brother to buy her and would have pounced on the purchasing of the queen of Mercury for himself had he been there.

"Master Raditz figured it out immediately when he was at the auction," Ami admitted with a blush. "And in exchange for not saying anything about my sex, I promised to go quietly and be obedient. Honestly… I was trying like hell to think of a way to outsmart him when he brought me home… until I saw Mako was here. The fact that she hadn't killed him yet convinced me to stay."

"And then I came over that night for supper," Kakarot chimed in cheerfully. "She was still reversing the glamour with her computer so she still looked like a boy, but…"

His grin got so huge that Rei actually laughed and shook her head in sympathy for her sister. "You jumped on her?"

"No," Ami snorted in mild annoyance, "he felt the pull for me, then declared that he'd not only wait for me to reach legal mating age, he'd also never complain about being gay if the gods had seen fit for him to at least find his one true mate."

"You looked about fifty shades of horrified, Blue," Kakarot purred. "I still don't quite get you Earthlings' stigma about homosexuality; but I guess that's just going to be a constant culture shock for all of us until you ladies get used to it."

"We don't have anything against it, Kakarot," Ami groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose to illustrate her frustration with him. "We're just not used to it being displayed so openly. You have to remember that our planet had a nearly even ratio of men and women, so we didn't evolve quite the same way Saiyans did."

"I got used to it with my fourth—or was it my fifth?—owner," Rei offered. "He had two brothers who both had male mates. They seemed happy enough, and hey—if that's what works for them, then it's all good." She made a face then and recalled something Raditz had said before, but she couldn't quite remember all of it since she'd been pissed as hell at him at the time. "You said 'the pull.' What's that?"

"Didn't your old masters tell you anything?" Kakarot sputtered. "I swear I'm beginning to feel embarrassment on behalf of my whole fucking race just because of the way you've been treated."

Happy for the change of subject, especially since she knew Kakarot had been about to voice his glee upon finding out that Ami had breasts and no penis, the Senshi of Mercury decided to field the question. "The pull is something felt between what Saiyans consider to be soulmates… though I've done some testing and I think that—mmmmph!"

Kakarot grinned as he kept his hand clamped over her mouth and nipped at her earlobe. "Nope. None of that scientific crap, my Ami! You're meant for me and I'm meant for you and it's as simple as that!" He then winked at Rei and disclosed what Ami had been hoping he wouldn't. "You have no clue how happy I was to find out that she has boobs. I _looooove_ boobs! I would have been very sorry to give up the fantasy of finally seeing a pair if she'd been male."

He was very glad to see his brother's intended crack a little smile, but that smile was short-lived when a door suddenly slammed open and the man himself strode into the house and eyed Rei for a long contemplative moment. "Raditz," Kakarot growled softly, using his ki to warn him off. _We just got her to lighten up. Don't fucking spoil it._

_ I won't. _"Come with me, Rei," he ordered before going to his room.

That was when Rei noticed all the shopping bags in his hands and her curiosity made her follow him. He was sitting on the bed, waiting patiently when she entered, and he even managed a little smile when she just stood there silently.

"Close the door, baby." Once it had clicked shut, Raditz sighed and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "I had a lot of things planned out to say to you when I got back, Rei. But it just all boils down to me apologizing. So here it is. I'm sorry for the way I got in your face this morning. Kakarot called me… and had I known that I would scare you like that, I would have reined in my beast—even if he did think you were issuing a challenge. Fuck it," he added as he stood and began opening the bags. "That's a stupid excuse, and I shouldn't have yelled at you like that for such a stupid reason. I'm sorry, Pyro. And Mina's being put off limits. You were right about that."

Rei just gave him a single nod, too busy watching him lay out the contents of the cloth shopping totes to really answer him. "These are for… for me?" She asked hesitantly, clenching her hand into a fist to stop herself from reaching out to touch a solid wood hairbrush that had been intricately carved with designs of horses erupting from the water.

Raditz hadn't missed the way she was eyeing that brush and he picked it up, opened her fingers, and placed it in her hand. "Yes. While I was out, cursing myself for being an asshole, it occurred to me that you likely didn't have many personal grooming items." The look of wonder on her face made him smile. "Mako didn't have anything when she arrived, and she hadn't been through nearly as many masters as you had. And of course she didn't say anything, so when her period started and she was without any supplies…" Raditz just stopped there and shrugged, not wanting to embarrass the queen of Jupiter.

"Anyway, I wasn't sure what you used or needed, so I bought a little of everything. I take Mina to do the shopping once a week; if there are any personal hygiene items you require including soap, just give her a list. I trust you won't be overly extravagant. I've got money, but I ain't loaded as hell like Father is." When she didn't say anything and just laid the brush back down with a brief look of longing in her eyes, Raditz sighed. "What, beautiful?"

"Several of my masters gave me things during my first few days with them," she whispered sadly. Damn it, she really liked the detailed carvings on that brush, too, and now she was about to give it back. "But when I wouldn't submit to them, they took them away. I… I don't want to—"

A growl from Raditz stopped her and she licked her lips nervously when she found him staring down at her with his tail thrashing about angrily. "I will not take back anything I give you, Rei. Let alone deodorant, soaps, and period supplies. These things are yours, as is any clothing or accessories I might acquire for you. Just get it through your thick Martian brain that I care about you and want you to be happy." When she still didn't smile, thank him, or reach out to take anything," he sighed and flopped back onto an empty space on the bed. "You're a very difficult person to be nice to, woman."

Something about that sentence made her snap out of a rush of bad memories running through her head and Rei worried her lower lip with her teeth as she hesitantly picked up the hairbrush. "Thank you, Master."

"_Raditz_," he groaned. When she didn't correct herself he just sighed and decided to pick his battles. "And you're very welcome, Rei. I hope that the scents of the soaps and the deodorant are ok; I wasn't sure what you liked and I was even less sure about taking you into town just yet. Next time though, if you promise not to light my hair on fire in front of everyone," he added in an attempt to make her smile.

He was rewarded with the slightest cracking of a smirk and he let out a rolling, content purr in response. "I got you something else, Rei… but I wasn't sure if you'd accept it or not." With that, he pulled a long black case from his leg pocket and held it out. "I promise it's not expensive or anything, and that it's not a come-on. And I don't expect anything in return except a smile. I just saw it and I thought it would look prettier around your neck than in a box."

The sincerity in his voice and expression made her take the case from him slowly, and when she opened it she felt tears forming in her eyes. The instincts she'd developed over the last three years screamed at her not to take it, to hand it back and refuse—politely, since he'd seemed so genuine when he'd handed it to her—but a little voice in the back of her head was very pleased by the simple ruby-and-silver pendant and was getting all girly about how she hadn't had anything pretty to wear in the longest time. It was also telling her that Raditz had excellent taste and that the necklace would look absolutely perfect on her. "I…" No, she just couldn't bring herself to refuse it, even if she fully expected him to renege the gift the moment she pissed him off.

Raditz was the very picture of happiness when she pushed her hair to the side and bent her head before handing the box back to him, and he felt like singing as he removed the simple pendant and draped it over her throat. But when she pulled her hair up to make room for the chain, his glee turned rapidly to quiet, cold fury. "Who did this to you?" He asked softly, his voice like a whisper of icy wrath.

The former queen of Mars tried to hide the brand on the back of her neck as her cheeks flushed hot, but Raditz stopped her short and grunted out a clipped "no."

"My fifteenth owner did it when I tried to run, Master. It was in the paperwork you signed when you purchased me. Please… just cover it up and never mention it again," she implored softly. Rei shivered when she felt his fingers caress the raised flesh marking her as a troublesome slave, followed by a gasp when his lips pressed to it gently. "Master?"

Remembering the clasp her was still holding between his fingers, Raditz fastened it and let her hair fall back into place before sitting beside her and cupping her face in his palm. "You're immune to fire, aren't you?"

With a little nod, Rei explained how they'd still managed to brand her as she tried to block out the memories of four Saiyan males holding her down even after she'd transformed and fought with every ounce of resistance in her. "Dry ice."

"Fucking bastards… if you want it gone, maybe Ami could erase it somehow and we could use some salve from the medtanks to heal it without any scarring?"

"No, Master. And the necklace is beautiful; thank you for thinking of me," she replied quietly, hoping that her tone would convey her wishes not to discuss her brand any further.

Raditz got the hint, and while he was seething on the inside and aching for a chance to track down her fifteenth master just to watch him writhe in agony, he kept his voice and his motions gentle when he tugged into his arms. "I'm sorry, baby. That they hurt you. If I can, I'll make them pay for it… but even if I can't, I want you to know that you'll never be harmed again." He managed a smile for her when she gave him a totally unexpected kiss on the lips, and while he returned it, he still kept it short and sweet. "I brought home supper so you wouldn't have to cook. I'll go get it off the porch and heat it up. You just enjoy going through your things and I'll call you when it's ready."

It wasn't until she'd haphazardly gotten everything in the bags and then laid them out on her own bed that she realized he hadn't emptied them all. Inside of another bag was shampoo and conditioner that smelled similar to cherry blossoms, along with some simple—but gorgeous—silver combs to wear in her hair.

A second bag held brand new undergarments, and as she rifled through them she marveled silently at how they were all simple and cotton. Not a single one was overtly sexual in design. Not only that, but he'd gotten her panty and bra sizes correct seemingly just by looking at her! "Ok, I owe him a huge thank you for these," she admitted aloud. "He probably noticed how worn mine were last night and this morning."

Rei changed her underwear and sighed joyfully at the feeling of fresh, clean cotton against her sex, rather than the dingy, old satin she'd been wearing and promptly tossed that hole-filled pair in the trash before putting away the things she'd need when her period finally started. Now that she was getting fed good food, she'd probably have one in the next few weeks—she hadn't bled in over two years, not since she'd been owned by her third master.

"Please, Father Ares… if you're still listening to your daughter, please let his kindness be for real. Please don't let it all just be an act to get into bed with me," she prayed as she put her soap and hair products on the tub rim. "Please… I don't think I could possibly take any more pain or disappointment."

**D'aw… Raddy's being nice! And methinks he just might be hatching a plan involving his brothers and father and some previous owners of Rei's that are going to be very, VERY sorry for the way they've treated her. But next chapter will be some Turles and some Mina—and it WON'T be what you think. R&R if you like this story and I'll update!**


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